The Adelitas were Mexican women who took up arms during the Mexican Revolution, rising in defiance of the profound social and political injustices of their time. The name derives from one such woman, immortalised in a celebrated revolutionary corrido, and has since come to represent all of these fearless, trailblazing women warriors.

Inspired by their legacy, this distinctive eight-piece ensemble—whose members hail from Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Italy and the United Kingdom—was formed in 2013 with a shared ambition to challenge and dismantle stereotypes within this traditionally male-dominated genre.

They have performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including supporting Lila Downs at the Barbican Centre in April 2024. In 2022, they appeared at the Glastonbury Festival (Left Field Stage) and at WOMAD (BBC Charlie Gillett Stage).

In 2023, they were interviewed by Clive Anderson and performed their single Intro live on Loose Ends on BBC Radio 4.

They are favourites of Cerys Matthews, who has interviewed them twice on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 4, and premiered their mariachi re-imagining of Back to Black alongside El Toro Relajo in 2021 and Viva Mexico in 2022.

Internationally, the band performed at the Women's Mariachi Festival in Los Angeles in 2018, where they also appeared live on Univision and Telemundo. They count Salma Hayek among their admirers and were invited to perform at her private birthday celebration in London.

Their performance history spans an exceptional range of venues and festivals, including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Roundhouse, the Songlines Encounters Festival, the Victorious Festival, the Vamos Festival, and the O2 Forum Kentish Town, where they supported Calexico. Most recently, they took part in the Festival Internacional del Mariachi y la Charrería in Guadalajara.

The ensemble features three lead vocalists, and every member is a professional instrumentalist. Their repertoire brings together revered mariachi classics, original compositions, and exquisitely crafted English-language songs, all arranged and performed in an authentic mariachi style.